Molly and I are ecstatic to unveil something that has been in the works for months: our first large scale partnership! The Pink Turtle in Greenville, DE contracted us to make a custom design to add to their SavannahStrong collection, and we were so happy to work with them on this very special project. Pick up yours today as a Christmas present!

We would love to do more custom deals, so if your social group, event, sports team, or school is interested, please contact us at molly@mgreydesigns.com

Just wanted to share a bit of exciting information: our friends at Avenue Cuts have decided to sell our ties at their salon! They have always been supporters of small businesses and local artists, and we are very proud to have our ties for sale with them. So, get a trim and a bow tie headed into the new school year!

Molly and I are pretty normal people, so when we started making bow ties out of her fabrics we could have never envisioned a trip to the Superior Court of Delaware or sitting with a banker at Wells Fargo to open a business checking account. But a few days ago, we made these very trips.

To answer the question posed in the title of this post, the Prothonotary is an office within the Superior Court that handles everything from bail bonds to business registration, luckily we were only there for the latter. After filling out the necessary forms, parking on the street to save a couple bucks, going though security, being told we could not have phones in the building, leaving the building, entering security again, and taking the escalator one floor down, we had finally arrived at the Office of the Prothonotary, where "M. Grey Designs" was formally registered as a business (woohoo!).

The next day, we had a morning meeting at Wells Fargo, the bank we decided to use for the company. After of an hour of filling out the basic information of the business, endless complimentary bottles of water, and a series of questions to make sure we were not engaged in illicit activities, we had our bank account squared away.

Throughout both meetings, I was deeply grateful for the enthusiasm the people around us afforded M. Grey Designs (especially the security guard who was a huge Heels fan). Now legally registered and backed by Wells Fargo, we are so excited for what the future holds. Big news coming soon, keep your ears open and check in on the blog!

We are so excited to officially launch our website. Our online store is up and running, so we can take orders. If you like what you see, please support us and get the word out in conversation and on social media. As a brand new company, we need your help reaching bow tie aficionados and lovers of watercolor painting across the world!

My name is Chris Avila, and I run the business side of things at M.Grey. I would like to welcome you to the journal of M.Grey Designs. Here Molly and I will post about exciting news, share our thoughts, and develop a sense of community among all of the fantastic people that support what we do.

It has already been quite a journey to get to this point. Almost 2 years ago I had the idea to make ties out of Molly's watercolor fabrics. For a while, we bounced around, producing them ourselves or hiring local seamstresses. But this winter break we decided that we would go for it. Since then, Molly and I have learned that starting your own business is a lot more than having an idea and a passion. It requires developing a business model, working with fabric houses and manufacturing offices, and keeping close track of money. Starting a business takes patience and pragmatism, but we are undeterred and so excited for what is to come.